Singapore Chilli Crab Recipe!

It took me 20 years to pin down my mother’s Singapore Chilli Crab recipe – I spent years watching her in the kitchen, but never knew the actual quantities to anything until this week, when I pinned down the recipe for my weekly Periscope! It was a great time hanging out with my mum and learning a bit more about our national dish, and even getting exact instructions on how to quickly kill a live crab (because that’s the best freshness seal!).

But don’t worry if you’re not up for dispatching Mr. Crab yourself, you can always get a fishmonger to do it for you. Oh, and if you prefer, prawns are a great substitute for crabs too!

Singapore Chilli Crab Recipe

2016-02-02 10:26:06

Serves 4

This is as authentic as you can get - a Singapore Chilli Crab recipe (from scratch!) passed down to me from my mother, who has been my crab dealer for all of my life. This is the flavour balance of my childhood, but feel free to play around with the quantities to find your favourite. After all, it IS comfort food!

Mix the corn starch with 1 tbsp water, and pour the slurry into the sauce to thicken.

Add in the beaten eggs and turn the heat off, stirring gently to create loose ribbons.

Add in the cooked crab, and mix throughly to combine. Taste the sauce, and if needed, add soy sauce to season.

Notes

*These are small red onions that you can find at the Asian grocer. If needed, you can substitute it with French eschallots.

** The belachan and the dried shrimp add that distinct flavour of the sea to the chilli sauce. It's not a compulsory ingredient, but I cannot promise that you won't get judged by a Singaporean if you don't include it.

***These buns are called Mantou, and they can also be served deep fried and golden brown, if you prefer.

****Bottled chilli sauce - similar to sweet chilli sauce, but tomato based - can be found at most asian grocers.

5 Comments

This mud crab recipe looks AH-MAZING. Really wish I was there when you were making it to eaaaat it aaaaaall. I also really want to pinch one of those mantou out of the photos (and straight into a deep fryer). Because more fat 😉